M. Uhrich and Associates - Paris & Boston

Introduction - About M. Uhrich and Associates

 

Experience and Dependability yields VALUE

 

 

 

Mark Louis UHRICH

M. Uhrich and Associates

13 ter Avenue Jean-Jacques Rousseau
78600 Maisons-Laffitte, France

Tél: +33 6 6061 5128

 

mark@muhrich.net

 

 

 

    ➤ NEW: "Being International"                                               ➤ NEW: "Another one Bites the Dust"  

 

RETIRED

Retired developer of competency in people and organizations

Retired professor of management

Retired professional trainer

 

I have retired and have closed my professional practice.  Although retired, I continue to think and, with that, continue to write and occasionally publish.

This web site is now maintained as point of reference for my work and to host blogs and articles that I may post from time to time.

 

About M. Uhrich and Associates

 

M. Uhrich and Associates, was an independent professional practice in consulting and training — both in companies and in higher education. The areas of work included:

Corporate, International, and Commercial Strategy

The Successful Management of People and Teams

       Organization Effectiveness and Revitalization

Business-to-Business Marketing and Sales

Cross-cultural Business and Teamwork

In essence: functional expertise in international business, marketing, and sales with specific competencies in people management and training and a passion for helping organizations succeed.

Based near Paris France, Mr. Uhrich worked in conjunction with international collaborators in France, the United States, and other countries. The slogan that was adopted years ago with the creation of the activity is “Helping organizations achieve their objectives”. This continues as the central theme today.

 

You to contact me if you have questions or seek additional information.

 

On Twitter  and   Facebook

 

ANOTHER ONE BITES THE DUST*

>>home <<

 

Observations following the collapse of Thomas Cook

 

So, another one bites the dust.  This time it is Thomas Cook, the pioneer and icon in the travel industry after 178 years.

There will be a lot written and even more said about this event.  For me, it is very simple:

• A failure in strategy.
• A failure in management — at the top.

People will try to put the blame elsewhere.  They will blame the government, taxes, unfair competition, globalization, … whatever.  No, the blame is at the top.

What should we take away from this unfortunate event?  I see two fundamental points.

 

Firstof all, it is important for any manager to understand the nature of the environment in which they are operating and how it is evolving.  All industries, all business sectors operate in an environment.  It is this environment that sets the rules, the constraints, and defines the rules for success.  Whatever business you are in, you need to clearly understand the environment that you are in and the rules — the critical success factors — for your business, regardless of size.

Furthermore, the industry environment evolves (much like the famous product life cycle).  As the industry life cycle evolves, the nature of the industry, the rules, and the opportunities for success change.  It is the job of top management to understand the environment of the industry that they are in and how it is evolving.  The industry environment that gave you opportunity and success when you started has changed.  Things have evolved and are now different.  Any company that stays with a business model that was the root of their original success and does not evolve with the change in their environment fails. The list is verylong.

What about those other things that people will want to blame — the government, taxes, unfair competition, globalization, … ?  Those are all simply part of the environment of the industry that you are operating in.

So, what is the nature of the industry that you are in? How is it changing?  How will you respond?

 

The secondpoint is the critical importance for liquidity.  As the expression goes; “Cash is King”.  When you run out of cash, you are dead.

There are financial experts who will tell you that you should be highly leveraged.  (Cary a large amount of debt.  Use other people’s money and less of your own.)  Yes, being highly leveraged can yield a higher return on investment — at least on paper and ifall goes well.  But, what if all does not go well?  What if there is a “bump in the road”?  Then what?  We have seen the consequences of this in every financial downturn.  We are currently seeing this with several other companies in the same industry who have taken on too much debt in a rush to expand.  Those companies are also bankrupt or their future is currently uncertain.

Remember, your strategy needs to have flexibility — what I call “wiggle room”.  Regardless how well your strategy is developed, things will never go exactly as planned.  If your strategy (especially your financial strategy) is so highly tuned that it depends on everything going just right, know that you will likely fail.  Things never go exactly as planned.  You will need the flexibility and available resources (cash) to respond.

 

The failure of Thomas Cook is unfortunate — especially for the customers, employees, and suppliers.  But, let’s put the blame where it belongs.  The blame belongs at the top.

And, from this, let’s take some key lessons to apply in both our businesses and in our personal lives.

 

*Note:  Title inspired, of course, by the famous song by Queen.

 

Mark Louis Uhrich

Maisons-Laffitte, France, 23 September 2019

©Copyright Mark Uhrich

 

In Management Training

Experience and Dependability yields VALUE

  

Mark Louis UHRICH
M. Uhrich and Associates

13 ter Avenue Jean-Jacques Rousseau
78600 Maisons-Laffitte, France

Tél: +33 6 6061 5128
mark@muhrich.net

 

In Management Training

 

 

My professional experience was in the sectors of marketing, sales, and international business. In these areas, I had achieved notable results.

When I speak with my collaborators and managers — both current and former — it is my skill in managing people that is most mentioned.  They speak of my ability in aiding organizations that are experiencing difficulties. Possibly, my greatest competence is in managing people. They also cite my related abilities in coaching and explaining.

I learned management first as a practitioner and then by specific study of the topic and as a professor of organizational behavior and management in major schools of management and further refined by training professionals in companies.

In brief, with the functional skills in marketing, sales, and international business, my passion is bringing out the best in people and organizations.

This is a skill and passion that I shared with others in my training activities for my clients. These training activities focused in the related area of:

Managing people and teams

Organization improvement

Marketing and Sales

 Topics include:

Line and Middle Management

Strategic Management

Management of Change

Sales Management

Strategic Use of Goals

Strategic Marketing

This work was provided both directly to clients (a registered professional trainer in France) and through collaboration with other professional training companies — depending on the situation. 

 

Sample Clients: (Either direct or as subcontractor)

Aelia
Groupe Bull
Gemalto
EURESAS
Total

  

 

I am pleased to have helped my clients in achieving their objectives and improving the performance of their organizations.  I am especially pleased with the work that I did with the participants in my programs — some of who keep in touch.

Thank you all.

In Education

 

Experience and Dependability yields VALUE

 

Mark Louis UHRICH
M. Uhrich and Associates

13 ter Avenue Jean-Jacques Rousseau
78600 Maisons-Laffitte, France

Tél: +33 6 6061 5128
mark@muhrich.net

 

In Education

 

Mr. Uhrich taught at several business schools in France, Europe, and the United States. Experience includes (partial listing):

➢    Skema Business School - Masters programs    (www.skema.edu)

• Corporate Strategy
• Strategy Business Game
• B2B Marketing
• Essentials of Marketing Management
• Dissertation Tutor

➢    AUP: The American University of Paris - Business programs    (www.aup.edu)

• Information Technology for Competitive Advantage

➢  EMLV  - Ecole de Management Léonard de Vinci 

                            (www.emlv.fr   or  www.devinci.fr )
        Retired Associate and Coordinating professor:

• Coordinating Professor responsible for the program in B2B Marketing - created and managed.
• Also drives several other initiatives.  Coordinated the development and implementation of a completely revised 3rd year program — totally in English and focused internationally. 

➢    ESSEC     (www.essec.edu)

• International Marketing
• B2B Marketing
• Dissertation Tutor

➢   IPAG Ecole Supérieur de Commerce - Paris & Nice     (www.ipag.fr) 

• Business Simulation
• International Marketing

➢    NEGOCIA       (www.negocia.fr)

• International Marketing and Export Techniques, Global Marketing and Communications
• B2B and Services Marketing

➢    Laurea University of Applied Sciences – Finland  (www.laurea.fi )

• International Sales Negotiations
• Sessions in B2B marketing and strategy

➢    Weller International Business School – European MBA  (www.weller.fr )

• Strategy

➢    CNAM/Institut International du Management (Ceprim - Executive MBA)

• B2B Marketing

➢    ESCP Europe (Paris)   (www.escpeurope.eu)

• Diagnostic and management of strategic change
• Past instructor in Strategy and Organizations

➢    Suffolk University, Boston & Dakar (www.suffolk.edu ): Adjunct professor

• International Marketing
• B2B Marketing
• Cross-cultural business and management

➢    ESLSCA – International Graduate Programs:  Former professor

• Strategy
• Strategic Marketing
• B2B Marketing and Sales

➢    Douai Business School:  Former professor

• B2B Marketing and Sales
• Cross-cultural business and negotiations
• Strategic Marketing

➢    I.A.E de Paris (DESUP International):  Université Paris I Sorbonne - Former instructor

• International Marketing
• Driving Strategic Change, Innovation
• Cross-Cultural Bssiness

➢    ISUGA - Institute Supérieur de Gestion Asie-Pacifique:  Former instructor

• Managing Sales

➢    The Open University - MBA Program:  Former Associate Lecturer

• International Business
• Strategy 

 

I am pleased to have worked with these institutions — to be part of their teams and to participate in the development of their students.  I am especially pleased to observe the professional progress of the students who I have worked with.  Thank you for our time together.

About the work performed

 

Experience and Dependability yields VALUE

 

Mark Louis UHRICH
M. Uhrich and Associates

13 ter Avenue Jean-Jacques Rousseau
78600 Maisons-Laffitte, France

Tél: +33 6 6061 5128
mark@muhrich.net

 

  

About the Work that was Performed

 

The work performed fell into three broad categories:

• Management training in companies
• Education in schools of business & management
• Consulting for organizations

The specific areas of expertise included:

• International, Corporate, and Commercial Strategy
• Business-to-Business Marketing and Sales
• Cross-cultural Business and Teamwork
• Organization Effectiveness and Revitalization
• The Successful Management of People and Teams
• Pedagogic Engineering and Coordination

In essence; functional expertise in international business, marketing, and sales with specific competencies in people management and training and a passion for helping organizations succeed.
This work is provided both directly and through collaboration with organizations who are active in the appropriate sectors of activity.  This is detailed more specifically in the pages relating to those activities.

I am pleased to have helped my clients and to have helped them achieve their objectives.

About Mark Uhrich

Experience and Dependability yields VALUE

 

Mark Louis UHRICH
M. Uhrich and Associates

13 ter Avenue Jean-Jacques Rousseau
78600 Maisons-Laffitte, France

Tél: +33 6 6061 5128
mark@muhrich.net

  

About Mark Louis Uhrich

 

Mark Louis Uhrich, French-American, has more than 35 years of professional experience in international business, marketing, sales, and management plus many years of experience in teaching, consulting and professional training — helping organizations achieve their objectives.

Originally from the United States, he worked in several companies and industry sectors - notably 18 years with Digital Equipment Corporation where he held a variety of successful positions in marketing, sales, and management in both the domestic and international operations of the company.   In these positions, he was frequently responsible for starting new businesses or rebuilding existing businesses.

Located in the Paris region since 1992, he had a practice in consulting and training — both in higher education and in companies.   His areas of expertise include:

• International, Corporate, and Commercial Strategy
• Business-to-Business Marketing and Sales
• Cross-cultural Business and Teamwork
• Organization Effectiveness and Revitalization
• The Successful Management of People and Teams

In essence: functional expertise in international business, marketing, and sales with specific competencies in people management and training and a passion for helping organizations succeed.

He has taught at several business schools in France, Europe, and the United States — and continues teaching in the Masters programs of  Skema Business School.

Mr. Uhrich is retired Associate and Coordinating Professor at the Leonard de Vinci School of Management in Paris (EMLV) where he constructed and managed the very successful program in B2B Marketing as well as drive several other initiatives.  This included coordinating the development and implementation of a completely revised 3rd year program — totally in English and focused internationally. 

Following his retirement from EMLV, Mr. Uhrich continued to teach at the Skema Business School as part of the teaching team in the Masters programs at the Paris and Lille campuses.  He taught several topics — notably Corporate Strategy.  He continued teaching at Skema until his full retirement

Additionally, he has taught at ESSEC, ESCP Europe, ESLSCA, IPAG Business School, AUP Paris, Cnam/Ceprim, Negocia, Laurea University of Applied Sciences in Finland and Suffolk University of Boston where he taught in both the Boston and Dakar campuses.  A more complete list of schools and courses is given on the page In Education.

In management consulting the emphasis was on aiding clients in their development of their strategy to achieve success – especially in international development, improved effectiveness in sales, and organizational improvement.

The company training activities focused in the related area of managing people and teams.

• Line and Middle Management
• Strategic Management
• Management of Change
• Sales Management 

He was a registered professional trainer in France.

Professional memberships included the French marketing association ADETEM and the American Chamber of Commerce in France where he is Past Co-Chair of the Training and Education Task Force.

An accomplished public speaker, he is recognized with the "Advanced Communicator Gold" award in the Toastmasters International program of public speaking.  

Mr. Uhrich holds a MS degree from Northeastern University in Boston and has studied business management in both the United States (Babson) and in France at INSEAD.

Now retired from his professional activities, Mr. Uhrich continues to be active in several associations.  He continues to write on a variety of topics.